the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Well, I finally got my King of Tone pedal a week or so ago after a 2+ year wait. I packed up almost all my other effects and went to town with the KoT!
I spent most of the time with my #1 Telecaster, my Strat and my 58 reissue Les Paul. The amp I leaned on the most was my 62 brown Fender Deluxe but my Mission Amps Super and my 69 Twin reverb did get some time too.
First off, this is an amazing looking pedal...I got v4 which is the newest at this time, it's finished in hammer tone purple paint with yellow/gold graphics, it sports 6 external controls and 3 internal controls. The controls on the outside are a pair of volumes, a pair of tones and a pair of drive controls. On the inside there are 2 treble boost (or cut) mini pots and a bank of 4 dip switches. The KoT v4 is more or less 2 OD pedals in one box that share a common power supply but that’s it...they have all their own controls and each side can be set in a number of different ways. There is more to it and if you want more about the specs of the pedal check it out at AM's web site.
I also have to say this...the KoT is a VERY well made pedal...great parts, high quality and made very well, solid as a tank. Very well thought out design and VERY user friendly.
There are 3 modes that can be had on either of the 2 channels of this pedal..."clean", "od" and "dist"...I will say this, this pedal is NOT a TS type unit and sounds NOTHING like one to my ears but for comparison purposes Mike uses a TS as a measuring stick if you will, this is from his site and will break down the 3 modes...
1) Normal Overdrive mode (OD mode): This is the standard King Of Tone sound- a little less drive available than a tube screamer. Factory DIP switch setting has this mode on the right (red) channel. This mode can get about 4 times louder than a tube screamer if desired.
2) CLEAN mode : This mode has less drive, can be used for clean boosts or clearer, louder sounds. It's like a clean boost with an overdrive knob. CLEAN MODE is even less compressed than the standard OD mode. The factory DIP switch setting uses this mode on the left (yellow) channel. This mode can get twice as loud as the OD mode. You can think of the clean mode as the OD mode with the overdrive removed, allowing louder, clearer tone. But the drive knob still functions and can add some drive to the sound, and volume as it's turned up.
3) DISTORTION mode : This mode has more drive than the standard OD mode- a touch of hard distortion. The sound is more compressed, yet retains the King Of Tone character. This mode can get about twice as loud as a tube screamer. Think of this mode as a cross between a Boss DS-1 distortion and OD-1 overdrive, with more clarity. We recommend most players use the OD and CLEAN modes. While the DIST mode sounds great, and I like to use it on certain occasions, it does not allow the pedal to get its absolute BEST tones. You can put an aged single malt Scotch whisky on ice, but it would be a shame to dilute it!
This pedal is simply one of the best (if not THE best) Overdrive pedals I've ever heard! It keeps all the bass in your tone, it doesn't muddy up the mids and the treble never gets harsh or fizzy. The tone control(s) have a very broad range but never get muddy or harsh in either extreme of it's rotation, the drive control(s) are very useable as well, and the volume controls can be used to get less than unity gain (if need be) and way beyond it if you want it...this pedal has LOTS of volume on all 3 settings! If you like the tone you get from your guitar/amp combo as is you'll love the KoT, if you have a crappy tone don't expect the KoT to "fix" it
I spent most of the time with my #1 Telecaster, my Strat and my 58 reissue Les Paul. The amp I leaned on the most was my 62 brown Fender Deluxe but my Mission Amps Super and my 69 Twin reverb did get some time too.
First off, this is an amazing looking pedal...I got v4 which is the newest at this time, it's finished in hammer tone purple paint with yellow/gold graphics, it sports 6 external controls and 3 internal controls. The controls on the outside are a pair of volumes, a pair of tones and a pair of drive controls. On the inside there are 2 treble boost (or cut) mini pots and a bank of 4 dip switches. The KoT v4 is more or less 2 OD pedals in one box that share a common power supply but that’s it...they have all their own controls and each side can be set in a number of different ways. There is more to it and if you want more about the specs of the pedal check it out at AM's web site.
I also have to say this...the KoT is a VERY well made pedal...great parts, high quality and made very well, solid as a tank. Very well thought out design and VERY user friendly.
There are 3 modes that can be had on either of the 2 channels of this pedal..."clean", "od" and "dist"...I will say this, this pedal is NOT a TS type unit and sounds NOTHING like one to my ears but for comparison purposes Mike uses a TS as a measuring stick if you will, this is from his site and will break down the 3 modes...
1) Normal Overdrive mode (OD mode): This is the standard King Of Tone sound- a little less drive available than a tube screamer. Factory DIP switch setting has this mode on the right (red) channel. This mode can get about 4 times louder than a tube screamer if desired.
2) CLEAN mode : This mode has less drive, can be used for clean boosts or clearer, louder sounds. It's like a clean boost with an overdrive knob. CLEAN MODE is even less compressed than the standard OD mode. The factory DIP switch setting uses this mode on the left (yellow) channel. This mode can get twice as loud as the OD mode. You can think of the clean mode as the OD mode with the overdrive removed, allowing louder, clearer tone. But the drive knob still functions and can add some drive to the sound, and volume as it's turned up.
3) DISTORTION mode : This mode has more drive than the standard OD mode- a touch of hard distortion. The sound is more compressed, yet retains the King Of Tone character. This mode can get about twice as loud as a tube screamer. Think of this mode as a cross between a Boss DS-1 distortion and OD-1 overdrive, with more clarity. We recommend most players use the OD and CLEAN modes. While the DIST mode sounds great, and I like to use it on certain occasions, it does not allow the pedal to get its absolute BEST tones. You can put an aged single malt Scotch whisky on ice, but it would be a shame to dilute it!
This pedal is simply one of the best (if not THE best) Overdrive pedals I've ever heard! It keeps all the bass in your tone, it doesn't muddy up the mids and the treble never gets harsh or fizzy. The tone control(s) have a very broad range but never get muddy or harsh in either extreme of it's rotation, the drive control(s) are very useable as well, and the volume controls can be used to get less than unity gain (if need be) and way beyond it if you want it...this pedal has LOTS of volume on all 3 settings! If you like the tone you get from your guitar/amp combo as is you'll love the KoT, if you have a crappy tone don't expect the KoT to "fix" it
:chairshot
